A communication network allows nodes to communicate with other nodes. The communication of signals or data between and within nodes may be referred to as “traffic.” A communication network may comprise all or a portion of one or more of the following: a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a public or private data network, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a local, regional, or global communication or computer network such as the Internet, a wireline or wireless network, an enterprise intranet, other suitable communication link, or any combination of any of the preceding. In some embodiments, a communication network may comprise an Optical Transport Network (OTN).
A failure at a node or link in the network may prevent traffic from reaching its intended destination. Networks may therefore provide for restoration in the event of a failure. One way to provide restoration is dedicated mesh protection. In dedicated mesh protection, the source may transmit traffic along two or more alternate routes through the network. Upon receiving the traffic, the destination decides which path to select based on, for example, the quality of the traffic signal received from each path. Dedicated mesh protection can provide for quick restoration in the case of a transmission failure. Because redundant paths may be permanently active, however, dedicated mesh protection may result in inefficient allocation of network resources.
Alternatively, the network may provide for shared mesh protection, in which traffic may be initially sent over a single primary path while a backup path may be reserved for use when necessary. In a shared mesh network, backup traffic is not necessarily transmitted at all times and, thus, it may be possible for multiple primary paths to share the same backup path. This sharing of backup paths may result in more efficient use of network resources compared to dedicated mesh protection.